The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its policies for Year 3 (2019) of the Quality Payment Program via the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule. The provisions in the rule build on the foundation established in the first two years of the program, and are reflective of the feedback we received from many stakeholders. https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current

This Outreach and Education webinar for participants in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs (previously known as the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs) is scheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted the eCQM annual update for the 2019 reporting period for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and the 2019 performance period for Eligible Professionals and Eligible Clinicians. CMS updates the specifications annually to align with current clinical guidelines and code systems so they remain relevant and actionable within the clinical care setting. These updated eCQMs are fully specified and are to be used to electronically report 2019 clinical quality measure data for CMS quality reporting programs.

Join CMS for an Overview of eCQM Reporting and Promoting Interoperability Program Proposals for the FY 2019 IPPS Proposed Rule

This Outreach and Education webinar for participants in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs (previously known as the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record [EHR] Incentive Programs) is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The recent news from CMS is that the “Meaningful Use” program, which was part of a large government effort to promote the use of Electric Health Record (EHR) systems, is being renamed to the “Promoting Interoperability” program.

CMS Changes Name of the EHR Incentive Programs and Advancing Care Information to “Promoting Interoperability”

To continue their commitment to promoting and prioritizing interoperability of health care data, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is overhauling and streamlining the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs for hospitals as well as for the Advancing Care Information performance category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which is one track of the Quality Payment Program.

The U.S. Access Board has launched its own channel on YouTube to further share and disseminate information. It features a message from Executive Director David M. Capozzi on the Board's mission and the services it provides to the public. Animations on accessibility that the Board has developed as part of its online guide to the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards are also available on the channel.

Electronic health record (EHR) systems can improve patient care by making it easier to collect, share, and interpret patient data. However, variations in EHR system design, functionality, and ability to exchange data accurately (interoperability) can cause preventable patient safety risks. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has raised concerns regarding the usability and interoperability of laboratory data in EHR systems. In response, in July 2012, CDC convened the Communication in Informatics Workgroup.

You have a right to your health record

According to federal law, you have a right to see and get a copy of your health record from most health insurance plans and health care providers, including clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, and nursing homes.

Yet it can be a real challenge to get your health record if you’ve been cared for by multiple doctors in multiple places. Each one may have a different process for asking for and getting your record.

ONC Usability Change Package Resource & Webinar Recording

ONC hosted a webinar on March 1 that previewed a new ONC-sponsored resource, the Usability Change Package (UCP.) This resource helps health IT end users in hospital settings identify usability challenges, adapt their systems to improve the usability of their systems, and assess the impact of these system changes.

Back in the 1980s Tipper Gore. Susan Baker, and several others created the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) with the intent of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes. They used their influence as “Washington Wifes” to push for regulation of the music industry. By 1985, 19 record companies agreed to put "Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics" labels on albums to warn consumers of explicit lyrical content.

ONC will be hosting a webinar that previews a new ONC-sponsored resource, the Usability Change Package (UCP). The UCP helps health IT end users in hospital settings identify usability challenges, adapt their systems to improve the usability of their systems, and assess the impact of these system changes.

This resource will be made available in the future on the Health IT Playbook. Presenters will provide an overview of the UCP, the process used to develop it, and the gaps and future considerations that were uncovered during development.

Personas enable clear understanding of the different users of a product and their goals, problems and backgrounds. The goals help to move the focus away from features onto what users are actually trying to accomplish and what users will ultimately use to evaluate the product. The problems highlight pain points and conflicts and offer opportunities for innovation and delighting users. The personas provide a way to summarize and communicate research.

The world is changing and the climate of well-balanced and open society is not as prevalent as many of us would like. Technology is developing alongside new political changes. This year, 2017 is a pivotal moment in history and we can help shape the course of events by the work we do.

Join ONC for two panels of distinguished public and private sector partners highlighting advancements in interoperability and usability. This event will be hosted by Principal Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT Genevieve Morris and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Technology Reform John Fleming, MD.